Miracle Treat Day!!

As part of the Family Advisory Council for Levine Children's Hospital (I joined in 2011) we are encouraged to attend fundraising events when time permits. Last fall was Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen. For every Blizzard sold that day a percentage of the sales goes to Children's Miracle Network. Levine Children's Hospital where Madelynn had her open heart surgery is a benefactor of this program. I was told by a representative of the Carolina Healthcare Foundation that if we let them know we attended Miracle Treat Day the kids would get free t-shirts. The kids were very excited to go.

So after an early dinner that night we drove up to the local Dairy Queen (DQ) and bought Blizzards. The kids received stickers, temporary tattoos and other fun goodies from DQ they were so excited. While we were eating our Blizzards I snapped a picture of Madelynn with my phone and emailed it to the representative at Carolina's Healthcare Foundation (CHF). I thought what better way for her to see we went to DQ but a photo of Madelynn eating her Blizzard.

A few days after that email was sent I received a phone call telling me how cute Madelynn was eating her Blizzard. DQ has a photo contest would it be ok if the photo of Madelynn was entered. Thinking nothing of it I said sure.

Madelynn's picture WON!!!

 

 

I did not know what it meant at the time but I was excited nonetheless. I was informed as part of the win DQ needed some additional pictures of Madelynn. Here is one of the additional pictures that was taken.

 

 

 

 

As this journey continued I received a call from the CHF asking my permission to put Madelynn's story in their publication Show and Tell. This is a bi-annual magazine sharing all the fundraising efforts for the hospital and highlighting some of it's patients. Again I didn't thinks a whole lot about it and went on about my day. Then the magazine came out and I received a very excited call from the CHF rep that not only did they highlight Madelynn as a patient she was ON THE COVER!!!

 

At this point all I could say was......"OMG!!!" Two days later Madelynn received this in the mail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did not tell Madelynn about this magazine cover or the article about her. I let her open the mail. It was a very exciting day. All of the kids wanted to take a copy to school and things continued to snowball.

 

 I received a call from Madelynn's gym teacher asking if she could be the face of this year's Jump Rope for Heart for her school. Because the children knew someone that was truly affected they raised double their goal. Madelynn's gym teacher called me again asking if I wanted to be interviewed for a story in a local paper praising the fundraising efforts. Check out the link here.

 

One night I was cleaning out some old emails and came across something that reminded me that Madelynn had won the photo contest with DQ. I emailed the rep at CHF reminding her I agreed to let them use Madelynn's picture as long as I received copies of everything and had she seen anything yet. Suddenly the snowball picked up speed. I received this in my email.

 

 

 

 

This flier and the poster below will be going out to all the DQ's NATIONALLY  for the second quarter of 2014. The winning of the photo contest last Fall just became VERY REAL!!! Madelynn was stunned when she saw herself in poster form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't sure she understood how extraordinary things really were until people came to the house who had not seen the flyer or the poster and she very excitedly comes running them.

 

For me I am truly speechless at how the events have unfolded and her beautiful face is everywhere. If I ever had one goal in all of this it would be to spread HOPE to those families that struggle. One day they will also be on the other side of the journey like us. One day they will be living their new normal as if it were the only normal they have ever known. We pray for those families that don't see it or believe it that soon their eyes will be opened to it.

 

 A HUGE THANK YOU to those at Carolina's Healthcare Foundation, the Dairy Queen Foundation and the Children's Miracle Network for allowing us to spread HOPE to all of those who read Madelynn's story.

 

TTFN~

Chelsea

The last and most important quarter of my whole world.

As this day began I kissed my husband good-bye and wished him a Happy Birthday. Today he celebrated his 38th Birthday. He is the youngest in our circle of friends. He grew up being the youngest so this suits him. His sense of humor and silliness is what keeps most of us young.

Lately he hasn't been feeling very young. Working sun up to sun down and then some. When he gets home he is so exhausted he usually passes out on the couch. I don't blame him right now the work is there and he wants to take it while it is hot. Lucky for me I already have our dinner reservations made and his gift for our celebration Saturday. In years past this dinner out with friends has been such a good time I leave the restaurant and my face hurts from laughing so hard.

Thinking about it this is my 16th year helping Phil celebrate his birthday. The first present I ever gave him was a dog, Lady. He was crazy in love with that dog. Two of his birthdays were celebrated by finding out he was going to be a dad to boy, Jackson, and a girl, Madelynn. He celebrated another birthday with the Baptism of Kaitlynn. He even celebrated a birthday in Savannah, GA for St. Paddy's Day. At least 4 of his birthday's were celebrated at Waldhorn's (a traditional German restaurant, he loves, we will be there Saturday).

I am sure not all of them were as exciting as the one's I mentioned but neither is life sometimes. One of Phil's birthday's was spent in a waiting room while Jackson had surgery for a second set of tubes and adenoid removal. One was spent stressing about all the medical bills we incurred from Madelynn's surgery and the housing market crash, would we make it.

Today was that reminder no matter what life throws at you, ALWAYS FIND A REASON TO CELEBRATE. So today I celebrate Phil he is a great dad, he works hard to provide for all of us, and he makes me laugh. Kaitlynn runs out the door yelling, "Daddy!" as soon as she sees his truck (and yes, Jackson and Madelynn are right behind her). The kids don't realize it but he LOVES when they do that. It makes all the long hours worth it.

Happy Birthday Pilbert!! I Love you to moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever.

Chelsea